Two teens facing drug charges after search

Wednesday

Jul 18, 2012 at 12:01 AM

By Jenny Wagnerjwagner@timesonline.com

CORAOPOLIS ó Two teens are facing drug charges after Coraopolis police searched one of their bedrooms and found a heroin stash.

Borough police said they were conducting surveillance prior to executing a search warrant at 1302 Vance Ave. shortly after midnight on July 13 when they saw Deno Berardi, 19, a resident of the home, get into a van and drive away.

When officers stopped Berardi and searched the vehicle, they found a fully loaded .38-caliber pistol with a round in the chamber under the passenger seat, according to a police report.

Officers went back to the house, but they had to force open a locked door to search Berardiís bedroom, the police report said. Inside the room, police said, they found Justin Douglas Martin, 18, of Aliquippa along with a juvenile male and juvenile female.

Upon a search of the room, police discovered a .45-caliber pistol, two bundles of heroin, one stamp bag of heroin and black rubber bands common for packaging heroin, along with cash (which police said was in denominations consistent with drug trafficking) two marijuana joints and a small plastic baggie of marijuana, the police report said.

Inside the bedroom closet, officers located a secret compartment built into the wall and floor and found a safe containing a fully loaded .45-caliber handgun that had been reported stolen, as well as two bricks of heroin, according to police.

Berardi and Martin are charged with criminal conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver heroin and possession of heroin.

Berardi faces additional charges of carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm by a minor, receiving stolen property, person not to possess firearm, prohibited offensive weapons, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Martin on Tuesday waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was released on his own recognizance from the Allegheny County Jail, according to online court documents.

A preliminary hearing scheduled on Tuesday for Berardi was continued until July 31, online documents show. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail after failing to post $500,000 bond.

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